In recent years, Personal Network Management system is defined by 3GPP (TS 22.259, 23.259, 24.259) as a home network-based application and network management aimed at providing configuration functions of a User's Personal Network (PN) and at managing access to Users' Personal Network Element (PNE). This system involves an Application Server (PNM AS) in the Network for enabling a user to perform some operations like registration, de-registration, configuration, de-configuration and Query Procedures (e.g. the Application Server may request the legitimate user, i.e. the controller of the PN, to grant service redirection).
One of the Personal Network Management applications is the Personal Network access Control (PN Access Control) that allows a Personal Network user (PN-User) to configure a Personal Network Access Control List for each User Equipment (UE) connected to the Personal Network. This PN-User is referred to as the Controller and identified by the private user identity, the public user identity, and the Controller service profile. Other UE are referred to “Controlled UE”.
FIG. 1 illustrates a Personal Network (PN) 2 comprising a primary Personal Network Entity PNE 4 equipped with a USIM, secondary PNE 6 controlled by the primary PNE 4, and a PN Application Server (AS) 8 accessible via the IP Multimedia Subsystem domain. The PNE 4 can configure the Service for all the PNE of the PN 2. The configuration may consist of a Session Redirection Service or Service Access limitation for example. The Controlees PNE may belong to the same Personal Network Area (PNA) 8 or not. Such PNA connects devices in short range wired or wireless connection. It can be a local Wi-Fi network, a local UWB Network, or local Bluetooth network for instance.
According to 3GPP PNM specifications, there is only one IMS subscription related to a PN, and there is only one Universal Subscription Identity Module (USIM) associated to a controller service profile. Besides the UE that holds this USIM can configure services for several Personal devices of the PN.
Furthermore, it should be noted that in related art described in 3GPP PNM specifications, a bootstrapping procedure is required prior to send a PN configuration request. So only the PNE which holds the subscription (USIM) to control the PN can send configuration requests thus preventing others PNE to perform PN configuration.
Besides, since the 3GPP Personal Network may register several UEs belonging to different users, the PN owner has to manage all users' preferences. Such settings can change dynamically in the time which may depend on the context of the UE (its environment, its current status or the user's preferences, . . . ). So this is obviously not convenient for the user because the PN configuration task becomes more complicated when PN includes more and more devices and/or when the PN comprises more and more service configurations that may be different from a user to another or from a device to another (example of configuration include session redirection and private network service as required in [0] or other configurations related to service delivery depending on the UE's context, etcetera).
It is to be noted that 3GPP specification specifies that “The user should feel in control over the system and be able to make it his or her personal appliance—an aspect that is closely related to user experience and personalization. This involves personal user profiles and adaptive intelligent agents, with focus on efficiency in terms of usability goals.”
However, no unit exists to ensure that the user can control his PN whatever the device he uses and whatever the USIM he uses, more particularly when the control is linked to a subscription and if such subscription is physically hosted on a SIM of a device.
An object of the invention is to move the PN configuration control from a device to another.